Cahill, who has netted five of the 11 goals Australia have scored at World Cups, will miss the last group game against Spain after picking up a second yellow card. Australia are facing elimination after losing their first two games.

“It is what it is. I leave everything on the pitch and if we had got something out of the game today (Wednesday) then I would have been fine,” he said, shrugging off the suspension.

Cahill said that pushing the 2010 World Cup runners-up so hard would make more soccer fans take notice of Australia, a sports-mad nation where the game is growing in popularity.

“We’ll earn a lot of respect from today’s (Wednesday) game,” he said.

BEST KNOWN

Australia are playing in their third successive World Cup, having previously qualified only in 1974.

Now playing in the MLS with New York Red Bulls, former Everton forward Cahill is Australia’s best known player and has been at the heart of their development in the sport.

Cahill netted Australia’s first ever World Cup goal in 2006 and is the country’s record goalscorer.

The game against Spain on Monday may be the start of a new era as Australia start to learn to live without their talisman.

“Timmy will miss out but somebody else will get an opportunity,” said coach Ange Postecoglou.

The coach was disappointed that Australia had failed to get any reward for their display against the Dutch.

“I said to the players that today (Wednesday) was about playing our kind of football and if they are going to underestimate us let’s make sure we punish them,” he said.